1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to multimedia message systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for implementing allocation of message revenue.
2. Related Background Art
Multimedia and Electronic mail (or "e-mail") message systems allow transmission of messages between computer-based users connected on a telecommunication network. Depending on the capabilities of a particular message system, graphics, audio, or simple text messages can be sent between these users.
One common known message system is configured so that both sender and receiver are hosted by the same network, either a local-area-network ("LAN") or a network offered by a single service provider, as shown in FIG. 1. In these systems, communications, in the form of messages will occur between the sender, where the message originates, and the receiver, which is the message destination. Normally communications costs for e-mail messages are born by both sender and receiver for access to their respective mailboxes in the e-mail system. The sender pays some type of usage fee for access to an e-mail system on which he can send (and receive) messages. The receiver pays a similar usage fee for access to an e-mail system on which he can receive (and send) messages. On a per message basis, the sender bears a cost for sending a message, and the receiver bears a similar cost for retrieving the message.
When both sender and receiver were hosted by the same service provider's telecommunication network, allocation of payment for a particular message between sender and receiver had not been an issue.
As inter-network e-mail has come into widespread use, developments in the art have accommodated limited re-allocation of e-mail revenue between the disparate service providers involved in transmission of a particular message. For example, one such known development provides for designation of a "paying party" to pay the entire cost of the communication as opposed to having both the sender and receiver pay a fee. In this known technique, the sender of an e-mail message can designate whether the sender would bear the entire cost of the message (i.e., revenue to the sender's service provider) or if the receiver was to be responsible for payment upon accepting the e-mail message (i.e., revenue to the receiver's service provider) of the entire cost.
While offering improvement over the traditional system where the sender pays, these known methods of and systems for revenue accounting accommodate only an all or nothing division of revenue--i.e., either the sender or the receiver pays the entire cost of the e-mail message, accruing the entire revenue to one telecommunications network service provider. This suffers the inherent limitation that only either the service provider acting as host to either the sender and receiver will receive the full benefit of payment with nothing going to the other service provider.
As is evident from the foregoing, limitations in known methods limit the effectiveness, and therefore the utility, of the current level of advancement achieved in the area of e-mail revenue accounting.